This book pulls together the work of twenty-eight leading scholars of the American West to examine this vast region, both before and after it became a part of the United States. Essays explore the ethnic, cultural and geographic diversity of the West. They touch upon key events. but also explore the powerful, if less visible, forces that have shaped the region, including religion, family life, violence and politics.

Winner: Western Heritage Award, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1994;  New York Public Library, Outstanding Reference Book, 1994; Caughey Western History Association Award for the year’s outstanding book in western history, 1995.